Fly
by RytaIndomina
Summary: An Anderlopez Siblings AU. After losing her parents in a car crash, a young Santana Lopez is adopted into the Anderson family. To their delight, she develops a close bond with the younger of their two sons, Blaine. But fate has big plans for the two siblings, and they quickly find that growing up and learning to navigate life isn't always easy, especially when it comes to love.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is a little plot bunny that popped into my head when rewatching Season 2 of Glee for the umpteenth time. Basically it's an Anderlopez siblings AU with a side of character exploration/development that explains why Santana and Blaine are the way they are and do the things they do. It'll generally follow canon, but will probably split off late Season 2. Hope you like it!**

 **\- RytaIndomina**

* * *

"You want to what?" Thomas Anderson asked his wife Pamela, looking at her incredulously. Behind him, their two sons, Blaine and Cooper, danced around the living room, singing at the top of their lungs. The two boys were six years apart, and they could not be more different.

Cooper, at 11 years old, was loud, extremely confident, and could sometimes be condescending and rude. In contrast, five year old Blaine was quiet, shy, and was always extremely polite and humble. After school, Cooper came home and talked about girls and cars, while Blaine sat at the table and drew. While Cooper romped around outside playing sports, Blaine could be found curled up on the couch with a book. The only interest the two boys shared was their love of music. In particular, they loved to sing. And as Thomas stared at Pamela in shock, that's what they were doing. The Filipina blew out an exasperated breath.

"I want to have another child. A little girl, this time. But I think it would be nice to adopt a child instead of trying to conceive one this time around." she repeated slowly.

"But- why?" Thomas was completely bewildered. Wasn't two children enough? Why did Pamela want another one?

"Thomas, I've always wanted a baby girl. And I think Blaine could use someone to help him come out of his shell a little. Cooper rarely spends time with him, and since they're six years apart, that bonding time will decrease as time goes on. By the time Blaine starts high school, Cooper will be in college. A little girl could bridge that age gap." she explained.

"Wait, so you want to adopt a girl that's older than Blaine, but younger then Cooper?" Thomas questioned, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Yes. But not too much older then him, because I want them to be close. Blaine's so shy, I think he'll need a strong older sister. One who'll stick up for him no matter what." Pamela clarified.

"Pam, can I have a little while to think about it? It's a big decision, and you're looking for a very specific type of girl." Thomas sighed. Pamela nodded.

"Of course you can, dear." She patted him on the shoulder and walked off into the kitchen. The Irish-German-Englishman groaned, and turned back to his two sons, who had gotten bored of singing and had gone back to their respective hobbies. He looked over at Cooper, who was playing video games. Then, he glanced over at Blaine, who was on the couch with headphones over his ears, presumably listening to music. Thomas bit his lip, thinking carefully.

Three days later, he told Pamela that he'd made up his mind.

Blaine and Cooper were getting a sister.

* * *

As they walked into the building, Pamela felt nervous but excited at the same time. Cooper and Blaine trailed behind her, both faces apprehensive. Thomas walked confidently ahead of her. Once they reached the doors of the office, they stopped and turned to their sons.

"Okay, you two stay right here. Cooper, watch Blaine." The boys nodded, and they ducked into the office, where their case worker, Amanda, was waiting for them.

"Hello, Mr. and Ms. Anderson. You'll be glad to hear that I've found a little girl that fits the personality you're looking for. She's Latina, and can speak both English and Spanish. I will warn you that she's very headstrong, mainly because of the area she originally came from." the case worker said.

"Where is that?" Thomas wondered curiously.

"Lima Heights Adjacent." Pamela blinked in surprise.

"Oh. How did she lose her parents, if I may ask?" she asked.

"She and her parents were in a car crash just as she was about to turn four. She just barely managed to crawl out of the car and run to safety before it exploded. Her memory of the incident is extremely vivid. Her grandmother has been looking after her since, but unfortunately, CPS has determined that her care will be detrimental to such an emotionally traumatized child in the long run.." Amanda replied. Pamela gasped softly.

"How is the little girl?" Thomas queried anxiously.

"She can be very standoffish and cold. We think that a result of seeing the death of her parents first hand, she decided to close herself off. The time she spent with her grandmother hardened that shell." The Andersons frowned.

"What do you mean?" they questioned together. Amanda pressed her lips together.

"Well for one, she's very good at concealing the effect that harsh words have on her. She also hasn't made any friends at school. And she has an unexpectedly sharp tongue for her age. However, that personality can change as if she's flipped a switch." she explained.

"How old is she?" Thomas wondered.

"Six." the case worker said simply.

"Only six? Oh, the poor girl! Where is she right now? Do you think we can meet her today?" Pamela exclaimed.

"She's actually sitting just outside of the office." Amanda responded. The Andersons exchanged a look.

"We didn't see her when we came in..." Thomas trailed off.

"She is very good at hiding herself when she wants to." Amanda said simply. The three adults got to their feet, and went out of the office. There, they found Cooper sitting alone, headphones covering his ears. Upon seeing them, the boy pulled off his headphones and looked up at them.

"Cooper, where's your brother?" Pamela questioned.

"Oh, he went to talk to that little girl who was sitting on the floor at the end of the hall." The adults glanced at each other. It was uncharacteristic of Blaine to initiate conversations with anybody.

"At the end of the hall, you say?" Thomas asked. Cooper nodded.

"I suppose we should go find them, then." Amanda suggested cheerily. The Andersons quickly agreed.

* * *

Blaine wasn't exactly sure why he'd decided to go and talk to the quiet girl he'd spotted down the hall. He usually didn't go and talk to anybody. But she seemed sad. And sitting with her back against the wall, with her knees curled up against her chest, she seemed really lonely too. So he told Cooper where he was going, and ambled over to the girl.

"Hello." he started simply. The girl didn't respond. Instead, she just raised her head, and looked him in the eye. Blaine swallowed nervously, feeling rather intimidated.

"My name's Blaine. Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?" he continued bravely. The girl stared at him silently for a while before shrugging and nodding her head towards the empty space next to her. He sat down carefully. Although he had a lot of questions (What was her name? Where were her parents? Did she like to read?), he didn't say anything else to her. He got the feeling that the girl wasn't naturally sociable. But he hoped that by just sitting with her, she'd feel a little less alone. A comfortable silence settled over the pair as the seconds ticked by.

After a couple of minutes, Blaine spotted his parents and his brother coming down the hall. There was another person with them, and judging by the way that the girl sat a little straighter when she saw her, she was someone the girl knew.

"There you are, Blaine! Who's your friend?" his mother asked. He simply shrugged, glancing over at the girl.

"This is the little girl I was telling you about." the stranger commented, and the girl tilted her head in confusion, studying Blaine's family carefully.

"Oh, I see. Not much of a talker then. She and Blaine share that in common." his father replied, chuckling.

"I only talk when I have something to say." the girl said suddenly. She spoke in a clear and sure tone, surprising everybody around her. The girl stood gracefully, meeting each of their eyes one by one. She looked confident, and Blaine suddenly felt the intimidated feeling from earlier return in full force. The Andersons blinked, shocked by her audacity. The woman with Blaine's parents sighed.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the Andersons? They're the family who're interested in taking you in." she coaxed, and Santana nodded. Blaine watched in fascination as the girl's stance shifted completely, becoming more shy and reserved. She suddenly looked more like the quiet girl who he'd spotted in the first place.

"It's nice to meet you all." she said carefully. Blaine's mother smiled.

"Cooper, Blaine, this is your new sister." she announced. Blaine's eyes widened in shock, and he whipped around excitedly to face the girl again. Her earlier confidence returning, she stepped forwards with a small smirk on her face.

"My name is Santana Lopez, and I guess that you two are my _hermanos_ from now on." she greeted, extending a hand towards him. Blaine shook it, smiling widely. He liked her already.

"I guess so." he replied.

* * *

A couple of years later, Santana had long since become part of the family. The girl had quickly adjusted to life as an Anderson, although she refused to change her name.

"I loved my birth parents a lot. And while you are my family who I love very much, I want to keep the name they gave me because I will always be their daughter as well. They had a lot of influence on me as a person, and I want to honor that." she replied when the Andersons asked for a reason. Impressed by her well-worded answer, Pamela and Thomas left the issue alone and never brought it up again. So Santana Lopez grew up within the Anderson family alongside her little brother Blaine, who she became very protective of.

"I grew up in Lima Heights Adjacent." she would say whenever someone tried to make fun of him. "Do you know where that is? It's on the wrong side of the tracks. Which means that I can and will beat you up if you so much as look at Blaine the wrong way." She could, too. Within a couple months of the adoption, Santana had asked to start kickboxing and gymnastics. She threw herself into the extracurriculars with unyielding enthusiasm, practicing for hours a day. However, whenever Blaine wanted to spend time with her, she dropped everything in a heartbeat. This loyalty to her younger brother led to a couple of incidents at school, but they were few and far between. Santana usually managed to intimidate the offenders before things got physical. Still, she hadn't really made any friends, seeming to believe that the company of Blaine was all she'd ever need.

Despite her protective instincts, nobody really knew that Santana was part of the Anderson family. She was fiercely independent; as soon as she was allowed to, she rode her bike everywhere, even to school. So people just assumed that her parents were always too busy to pick her up. She never told anybody otherwise, explaining to the Andersons that she didn't want to be like Cooper, whose legacy overshadowed Blaine in almost all of his endeavors. Cooper had gotten to a lot of things first, and Santana wanted to make sure that Blaine could build his own reputation instead of being known as "Santana Lopez's younger brother". Blaine was thankful for her consideration, and so the Andersons never protested.

To their delight, Santana also loved music, although not in quite the same way that Cooper and Blaine did. She preferred the guitar to the piano, although she'd learned to play both, in contrast to Blaine, who was completely committed to the latter. By middle school, they were very adept at singing and dancing, and enjoyed doing duets with each other. Often times, the two could also be found playing instruments together, Blaine on the piano while Santana strummed her guitar. Santana's voice suited R&B and soul songs, although she liked pop songs as well, and Blaine liked all types of music. Santana would even grudgingly sing show tunes with Blaine, although she didn't like them as much.

Everything was sailing smoothly for the Anderson family. Thomas had recently gotten a promotion at the hospital he worked at, the kids were doing well in school and enjoying their hobbies, and Cooper had just gone off to college.

And then, it wasn't.

* * *

"Everyone? I have an announcement to make." Blaine said at dinner one day, when the entire family, including Cooper, was home. He was in the seventh grade.

"Alright. Let's hear it." Thomas replied, his fork halfway to his mouth. The entire family turned their attention to Blaine, who took a deep breath.

"I'm gay." Cooper choked on a mouthful of water. Pamela froze, eyes wide. Thomas dropped his fork, which landed on his plate with a loud clang. Santana shrugged.

"Cool." she commented, and kept eating. A dark look passed over Thomas's face.

"You're what?" he growled, and Santana stopped eating, sensing that their father was not reacting well to the news.

"He said he's gay." she responded for her brother, who looked terrified. Thomas scowled. Pamela reached for her husband's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. He brushed her off.

"Why are you so calm about this, Santana? This is a sin." he questioned in a cold tone. Santana stiffened, suddenly remembering that her father had been drinking.

"I don't agree. Shouldn't you be allowed to love whoever you want? How was Blaine supposed to know you'd react this way? We've never talked about it." she defended.

"I never thought I'd have to deal with this problem." Thomas responded. Blaine couldn't even move his mouth. He watched helplessly as his sister and his father argued back and forth.

"It's not a problem!"

"Of course it's a problem! He's chosen a life of sin!"

"It's not a choice! He was born that way!"

"Are you blaming us for this?"

"It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault. It's just the way he is, and that's that." Thomas stood up suddenly.

"I'm done talking about this." he snarled, and stormed from the room. Santana pushed her chair back and ran after him. Blaine looked over at his mother and brother, who sent him sympathetic glances.

"He'll get over it. You're perfect just the way you are, Blaine. Don't worry about it." his mother assured, but Blaine wasn't so sure. Then, the yelling started in the other room. None of them could hear what was being said, but it was loud, and it sounded angry. Suddenly, everything went quiet.

Seconds later, Santana tore out of the room and ran past them up the stairs.

"Santana, wait." Thomas yelled in a pleading tone, appearing in the doorway. But it was too late. Her bedroom door slammed shut. Curious, the entire family went up the stairs after her. As they got closer, they could hear shuttering breaths and whimpers; Santana was in tears. That meant something bad had happened, because Santana only cried when she was really hurt.

"What did you say to her?" Pamela asked flatly. Thomas looked regretful.

"Something I shouldn't have." he replied vaguely, rubbing his temples.

"What do you mean?" his mother pressed.

"I drank too much tonight, and I wasn't thinking straight. When we were arguing, I lost my temper, badly. I said a lot of harsh things with the intention of hurting her." his father sighed.

"But what did you do to make her react like that?" his mother wondered, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"I just wanted her to see things my way, so I threw the worst thing that's ever happened to her in her face." he admitted. Pamela stared at her husband in horror.

"You didn't." she whispered, glaring at him. He raised his head wearily, eyes full of remorse.

"I did." Blaine had heard enough. He knocked on the door.

"San? Are you okay?" he questioned tentatively. There was no answer. His mother dragged his father out of the hallway, muttering under her breath. Cooper looked at Blaine, and then at Santana's bedroom door. Then, he followed their parents.

"Everything's going to be okay." Blaine soothed through the door. Still, there was no reply. He sat down outside his sister's door and refused to move, continuing his vigil until the house was dark and everyone else had gone to bed. Eventually, he fell asleep.

* * *

Santana opened the door once she knew everyone had turned in for the night. She was unsurprised to find her little brother curled up on the floor outside her room. She picked him up (all of the gymnastics and kickboxing she did had given her a lot of muscle), and carried him into his room. Then, she sat down next to him, and simply kept watch. He looked so innocent; how could such a good person be accused of sinning when all he wanted to do was love? Her mind flashed back to the conversation she'd had with her father, and she shivered.

 _"So what if the Bible says that it's not okay? The world's changed. There's a lot of things in there that are sins that we do anyways!" she yelled._

 _"Are you gay too? Is that why you're so defensive?" Santana froze. Sure, she'd had small crushes, but that didn't mean..._

 _"_ _I bet it is. You're a lesbian, aren't you. Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it. What's your middle name again? Oh, that's right. Diabla. You say that you're born with these sins? Is that why you and your parents got into a car crash at such a young age, then? Because God was punishing you for the sin you were born with?" Immediately after the words flew out of his mouth, her father's eyes widened._

 _"I didn't mean that." he tried, reaching out towards her. She flinched back from his touch like a wounded animal, gazing back at her father with hurt eyes._

 _"You did. But it wasn't my fault. I'm n-not gay. I'm not a l-lesbian. So it wasn't my fault. It can't have been my fault. It just can't." she whispered, backing up a couple steps before sprinting out of the room._

She wasn't homophobic. She still believed Blaine liking guys was completely acceptable. But she couldn't get her father's words out of her head. Maybe she was the exception. Maybe she in particular wasn't supposed to like girls and she'd lost her birth parents as a result. She didn't want to be to blame for their deaths. But as far as she could tell, her dad felt that being gay meant that it was her fault.

"I'm not gay." she repeated to herself, but the words sounded empty and hollow. They were only just words. She had to prove them true through her actions. And the easiest way to prove that she didn't like girls was to go after boys with a passion. Maybe then, she wouldn't feel so guilty.

She sat by her brother's side through the night, all the while coming up with a plan to get her first boyfriend.

* * *

 **I'll be back soon with the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again! Updates are definitely not usually this quick, but since three people reviewed within like 12 hours of it being published, I felt inspired to write another chapter. For any Blaine/Kurt fans (Klaine, that is. Blurt is funny but weird.), that'll definitely show up, because it's about both siblings, not just Santana. However, they haven't actually met yet, so the next few chapters will mostly be developing Brittana/ Blaine's character growth. Hope you like it!**

 **\- Ryta**

* * *

Blaine knew that something about Santana had changed. Ever since the night when he came out, she'd been acting differently. She actually talked to people at school, she put more effort into looking pretty every morning, and she was a lot more thoughtful. He watched her do all these things and wondered what exactly his father had said that night. He wasn't sure the change was a good one.

Then, she started going to parties, drinking alcohol, and flirting with boys. Blaine was shocked. He desperately wanted to shake her shoulders and ask her what she thought she was doing. But he didn't, and so her strange behavior continued.

On top of Santana's abrupt change in personality, he had his own problems to deal with. There were only two people out of the closet at their school, and the other person, a girl named Jasmine "Jaz" Lawrence, was one of his closest friends. The two of them were bullied mercilessly for their sexuality, and Santana wasn't always around to interfere on their behalf.

By the time November rolled around, their school was abuzz with excitement over the upcoming Sadie Hawkins dance. It was interesting to see guys worried about whether a girl would ask them out for a change; the girls seemed to be taking advantage of the opportunity by being extremely mysterious. Of course, none of the girls asked Blaine to go with them, and Jaz wasn't daring enough to ask out any of her crushes (whether they were closeted or not), so the two decided to go together.

Naturally, with her recent rise in popularity, everybody wanted to know who Santana Lopez was asking to the dance. Who she would choose to go with was the subject of constant gossip for weeks. She eventually decided on Noah Puckerman, which confused Blaine. Noah, though he was only 14, had quite the reputation of breaking hearts; why in the world would Santana want to take him to the dance? He brushed it off as another one of Santana's concerning choices, and focused on keeping his head down.

After weeks of constant verbal abuse and trying to become as invisible as possible, the night of the Sadie Hawkins Dance finally arrived. Blaine had a pretty good time, despite having to ignore the whispers and jeers of the other students. His sister hovered nearby with Noah, effectively acting as a silent shield against the bullies, which Blaine was very thankful for. He and Jaz spent most of the time making casual conversation and joking around. All in all, it was surprisingly fun.

At the end of the night, Blaine and Jaz stood outside waiting for their parents to pick them up. Santana had disappeared somewhere with Puckerman, promising to be back before their parents arrived. Blaine wasn't too worried. It was a warm night, with a slight breeze rustling the bushes around them. The two stood in comfortable silence, just enjoying their surroundings.

Suddenly, a tall, well-built girl burst out of nowhere, and grabbed Jaz's purse.

"Hey, give that back!" Blaine protested. The girl sneered at them.

"You want it, homos? Come and get it." she teased, before running off. Against his better instincts, Blaine took off after her, Jaz not far behind. They followed the girl into a nearby alley, which led into a dead end.

"Just give us the purse back." he said confidently. The girl chuckled darkly. Blaine and Jaz froze in shock as two deeper voices joined her in laughter. They spun around to find two tall boys blocking the exit of the alley, smirking at them.

"I don't think she feels like it, gay boy." one said. All three teens began to advance on them. Blaine and Jaz shrank back, trapped. The girl grabbed Jaz by the arm and threw her to the ground.

"Hey, don't touch her like that!" Blaine yelled. The girl scowled.

"I bet she liked it. Sicko." she spat at a cowering Jaz. Blaine tried to reach for his friend, but one of the boys punched him in the solarplex. He fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"You two are abominations. Do you know what happens to people like you? People like you are punished." the other boy announced. And then, both boys started kicking him mercilessly. The pain seemed to go on forever.

The last thing Blaine saw before everything went black was a figure standing in the entryway of the alley, fists clenched tightly at her sides.

His sister had arrived.

* * *

Santana had only went back inside to grab her phone, which she'd left on one of the tables. Puck had followed her, treating her a lot more nicely then he usually treated his dates. She supposed it was because they were actually kind of friends. When she got back outside ten minutes later, her brother and his friend had disappeared.

"Where are they?" she wondered out loud. Puck shrugged.

"I don't know who you're talking to, but I've got to go home. You gonna be okay here on your own, Lopez?" She turned to the boy, nodding.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go ahead." she responded. Puck saluted, and walked off into the night. Santana spun back around, sharp eyes searching the area carefully.

"Now where could you have gone?" she muttered. Some strange sounds reached her ears, and she paused, listening carefully.

"Is someone getting beat up?" Her curiousity piqued, she quickly followed the sound to a nearby alley. The scene that met her eyes caused her blood to run cold and her vision to turn red.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she growled, and the three teens froze. The girl recovered first.

"We were just showing these queers what happens when you choose to be unnatural." she responded. If looks could kill, the three teens would have died on the spot. She stepped towards them threateningly, smirking slightly when they flinched back in fear.

"Leave. Now." she commanded.

"Come on, they're just a couple of f-" one boy stuttered, but she interrupted.

"Finish that word and I'll rip out your tongue." she interjected smoothly.

"Why do you care? Are you gay too?" Santana's fiery gaze snapped to the other boy.

"I am not a goddamn lesbian. However, nothing you say will convince me that these two deserve to have the crap beaten out of them." she snarled.

"They're gay." the girl exclaimed. Santana strode forwards and slapped her across the face.

"So you think that physically assaulting them is suddenly okay because they aren't straight? When their families press charges against you three, will your defense be that they deserved it? Because I think that's fucking stupid." she yelled. The other two boys stepped forwards menacingly.

"But they won't find out we were involved. You're going to keep quiet about this, or else." one said. Santana scoffed.

"Or else what? You're going to beat me up, too? I'd like to see you try." She'd barely finished the sentence when the girl tried to tackle her. She sidestepped, and kicked the girl in the face. She collapsed like a sock puppet. Then, Santana spun, ducking under a punch and unleashing a devastating jab-cross-hook combo on one boy's face. His hands automatically rose in reaction, and she took the opportunity to drive her knee into his groin and then shove him to the ground. The last boy looked a little intimidated, backing up just out of her reach. She sprang forward with a superman punch to his jaw, and then threw a roundhouse kick to his ribs. He fell onto his back, groaning. She immediately whipped out her phone and called 911. Just after she got off the phone with the police, her phone rang. It was her mother.

"Santana, where are you and your brother? And have you seen Jaz? Her parents are looking for her as well." she asked.

"There's an alleyway nearby. It's not hard to find. Come quickly. Bring Jaz's parents." Santana replied shortly, and cut the call. Then, she hurried over to her brother, who was covered in cuts and bruises. Jaz didn't look much better. Santana opened up her purse and extracted a small first aid kit. She started cleaning the cuts as best as she could.

She looked up when she heard footsteps, seeing her and Jaz's parents run into view. All four parents gasped in shock at the scene.

"What happened?" Jaz's mom asked worriedly.

"These three are extreme homophobes. They attacked Blaine and Jaz when I went back inside the auditorium to find my phone. I think they lured the two here first before jumping on them. I might have thrown a few punches upon seeing what happened, which is why they're also on the ground." Santana explained, gesturing over at the incapacitated bullies.

Everything after that was a bit of a blur. The police showed up with an ambulance, and Blaine and Jaz were taken to the hospital. Santana spent the time waiting for them to wake up wondering if it was her fault. Maybe she hadn't proved herself enough, and that's why someone she cared about got hurt. She wasn't certain, but just like before, she wasn't willing to take the chance. She was relieved when Blaine finally woke up and said that he wanted to transfer to Dalton, an all boys school known for it's zero-tolerance policy for bullying. He would be safe there, far away from the bullies, and far from her. Maybe he'd be able to make more friends. She just wanted him to be happy.

Hopefully Dalton would be good for him. She prayed that it would.

* * *

The rest of her eighth grade year flew by, and summer arrived. However, it wasn't going to be a relaxing one. Her mother was moving up to Westerville to look after Blaine, while her father stayed in Lima for work. Because of his job, he was rarely home, leaving Santana many hours to do what she wanted. And she knew exactly what she wanted. Since she was going to McKinley High in the fall, she needed to make a plan to be as popular as possible. And she knew that the best way to do that was to join Coach Sylvester's Cheerios. They were the most elite high school cheerleading squad in the country; they won nationals every year. To be a Cheerio meant that you were on top of the food chain at McKinley, which also meant that you were extremely desirable in the eyes of the male students. Also, it looked really good on a college resume.

So the day that auditions were held, Santana walked to McKinley and showed up an hour early to the field, doing a few warm up laps and stretches to pass the time. Once Sue Sylvester finally appeared, she had all the hopefuls stand in a line. She immediately dismissed about three quarters of them after a single glance, and told the eight remaining girls to change into a Cheerios uniform, put their things into a locker, and return within thirty minutes. While the other girls sprinted off as quickly as possible, Santana lightly jogged. She didn't want to tire herself out too early. Upon arriving in the Cheerios locker room, she changed into the uniform, and started to put away her things in a random locker. She glanced to her right, and froze.

A tall blonde girl stood a couple lockers away. Santana watched, captivated for some reason, as she pulled a red water bottle from her bag. The girl must have felt her gaze, because she glanced over at her quizzically. The blonde's bright blue eyes locked onto her own, and Santana swallowed nervously, unable to avert her eyes. Then, she smiled, taking a sip from her red water bottle, her eyes never leaving Santana's. She hesitantly smiled back at the blonde, her heart beating a little faster although she had no idea why.

She walked back out to the field with the taller girl, finding herself hoping that they both made it onto the team. She couldn't explain it; she hadn't even had a conversation with the blonde, yet she already felt attached to her. Santana spent the rest of the audition watching the blonde out of the corner of her eye.

As it turned out, the tall girl was amazing at dancing. Santana was awestruck by the way she moved, fluid as water and full of grace. Another girl caught her eye as well, although not in the same way the girl from the locker room had. She had very good balance and an air of confidence about her. At the end of the auditions, the coach dismissed everybody but the three of them.

According to Sue Sylvester, Santana was the best flyer, meaning that she was the most adept at aerial acrobatics. The locker room girl's dancing was something that the coach admired, a sentiment that Santana agreed with whole-heartedly. As for the confident girl: she apparently reminded the coach of herself somehow personality-wise, and was well-rounded. Coach Sylvester congratulated them on making the team, and then warned them to return at six the next morning for summer practice. They all nodded, and then headed to the locker room to change.

"So, what are your names?" the confident girl asked.

"My name is Santana Lopez." she replied smoothly.

"I'm Brittany Pierce." the dancer chimed cheerfully. Santana decided that she liked Brittany's name. It fit her, somehow.

"Well, I'm Quinn Fabray. Can I get your phone numbers? Seeing as we're the three freshmen Cheerios, I think we should stick together." the now-named Quinn asked. Santana and Brittany agreed. The three of them spent a couple minutes exchanging numbers.

"Great! I've got to go now. I guess I'll see you two at practice tomorrow." Quinn said, smiling at them. Something about her expression seemed calculating. Santana immediately realized that this girl wanted to be on top of the social ladder as well, and like Santana, she had a reason for doing so. She smiled back at the blonde.

"I guess so." Quinn waved goodbye, and left the room.

"She was nice." Brittany commented.

"Yeah, I guess." Santana responded noncommitally.

"You were super awesome at all of those air stunts, by the way." the blonde complimented. Santana found an actual smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you. You're amazing at dancing. I just- it was beautiful." she blurted, feeling heat rise to her face. What was going on with her?

"Aww, thanks. I guess we're both really talented people, then." Brittany joked, and Santana laughed.

"I guess so." she replied, feeling light and carefree. It had been a pretty good day. She'd gotten onto an extremely exclusive cheerleading team that would benefit her life in the short term and in the long run, made a good impression on said team's hard to please coach, and she'd actually made a friend for once.

"I like you." she suddenly told the blonde. She really did; she'd never met anybody who made her feel so relaxed only hours after their first meeting.

"I like you too." Brittany responded immediately, grinning widely.

"No, seriously. You're awesome; I think God has laid a hand. We're definitely going to be good friends." Santana continued.

"Definitely." Brittany stated firmly. She held out her left pinky.

"Just to make it official." she said, and Santana wrapped her right pinky around the extended finger.

"I'm left handed." she explained at the blonde's slightly confused look.

"Well, that's even better, because this can be our thing now." Brittany responded.

"Our thing?" Santana wondered, confused. Brittany laughed.

"Yeah, San. Our thing." she exclaimed as she began to drag Santana by the pinky out of the locker room.

"Now come on! We can totally go grab ice cream or something if you aren't busy." the blonde suggested. Santana smiled.

"I'm definitely not. Lead the way, Britt." she said, following her new friend out the door. She was really looking forwards to all the memories they were going to make together.

Who knew having a friend could be so awesome?

* * *

 **I'm going to cut the chapter here so the next one can focus on Blaine's feelings about the move and going to Dalton, as well as his first days there. See you soon with the next one! And don't forget to R &R! By the way, I don't own anything, except for random civilians I insert to help the story along.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Just wanted to clarify: Santana's birthday is November 19, 1994. Blaine's birthday is December 16, 1994. This is about as canon as I can make the birthdays while still having Santana be older than Blaine... seeing as she graduated a year earlier than Blaine, let's just say that she was put into the grade above Blaine when she was six, and then when he went to Dalton, he skipped a year ahead so he could finish 8th grade and go into 9th grade like his sister. And then when he eventually transfers to McKinley, he goes into junior year instead of senior because Dalton is weird about grade levels. And during this chapter, they are both 14. Also, this chapter takes place in between Sadie Hawkins and the Brittana meeting. Cool? Cool.**

* * *

Blaine was pretty nervous about the move. For the first time since he was five years old, he'd be going to a different school from his sister. She wouldn't be there to go Lima Heights on his behalf. He hoped he wouldn't need her to.

As he and his mother made the drive up the Westerville, Blaine stared out the window, listening to music through his earbuds. He had an entire playlist comprised of recordings of Santana covering her favorite songs, and he shuffled through that playlist as Lima disappeared behind him. He missed his sister already.

They drove straight to Dalton so that they could set Blaine up in his new dorm. They stopped at the front office and got his room number, keys, and schedule, and then set about figuring out where his dorm was. Once they finally found it, Blaine knocked lightly on the door.

A boy with dark, shaggy hair opened the door. Behind him stood a taller boy with platinum blonde dyed hair.

"Hey, there. I'm Nick. This is Jeff. You must be the transfer student. Finishing up 8th grade with us, right?" the boy who opened the door said.

"Uh, yeah. My name's Blaine." Nick grinned.

"Cool. Come inside!" Blaine grabbed his bags and headed inside, his mother trailing behind him.

"This is your bed over here, next to the window. Feel free to decorate the walls if you want. Just warning you, Nick and I like to sing, so I hope you're not too bothered by noise." Jeff told him. Blaine smiled.

"Thank you. I actually don't mind if you guys sing, because I love to sing as well." he replied.

"Awesome. Maybe you can join the Warblers. That's the name of Dalton's show choir. Jeff and I are in it. It's pretty awesome." Nick exclaimed. Blaine nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe." The three boys and Pamela got to work unpacking Blaine's things.

"Woah, who's this?" Jeff wondered, picking up a photograph. Nick peered over his shoulder.

"Dude, she's pretty." Nick commented, whistling. Blaine laughed.

"That's Santana." he said, not offering any further explanation. Jeff and Nick glanced each other for a second, and then nodded.

"Awesome." they chorused, seemingly nonplussed. Blaine blinked in surprise. Pamela chose that moment to speak up.

"Alright, I've got to go now, Blaine. I hope you have fun here." she said.

"We'll take care of him." Nick reassured, slinging an arm around Blaine. Jeff came up on his other side and did the same.

"Thank you." his mother replied sincerely. Blaine said his goodbyes, and then she was gone.

"Okay, new kid. Show us what you got." Jeff said suddenly.

"Um, what?" Blaine asked.

"Sing!" Nick clarified, leaning forward excitedly.

"Oh... okay. What should I sing?" Blaine wondered.

"Anything. Just whatever comes to mind." Jeff suggested. Blaine thought for a second, deciding on the last song he'd heard Santana singing. He was pretty sure that she'd unconsciously been directing it at their father. He hoped that the two of them would be able to adjust to living together.

"Alright." He cleared his throat.

 _I'm holding on your rope_  
 _Got me ten feet off the ground_  
 _And I'm hearing what you say_  
 _But I just can't make a sound_  
 _You tell me that you need me_  
 _Then you go and cut me down_  
 _But wait..._

 _You tell me that you're sorry_  
 _Didn't think I'd turn around and say.._

 _That it's too late to apologize, it's too late_  
 _I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late_

 _I'd take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you_  
 _And I need you like a heart needs a beat_  
 _(But that's nothing new)_  
 _Yeah yeah_

 _I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue_  
 _And you say_  
 _Sorry like the angel Heaven let me think was you,_  
 _But I'm afraid_

 _It's too late to apologize, it's too late_  
 _I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late_  
 _Woahooo woah_

 _It's too late to apologize, it's too late_  
 _I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late_  
 _I said it's too late to apologize, yeah_  
 _I said it's too late to apologize, yeah_

 _I'm holding on your rope_  
 _Got me ten feet off the ground..._

He realized he'd closed his eyes, and opened them to see Nick and Jeff staring at him in shock.

"Dude, we need to get you into the Warblers, stat." Jeff said in an awed tone. Blaine blushed, looking at his hands.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, really!" Nick exclaimed.

"Well, before we do anything else... I just want to say one thing. You guys have been so nice to me, and I'd really like to be your friend, but there's something about me you should know." Blaine started nervously. Jeff and Nick exchanged a conspirational glance.

"If it's that you're gay, that's fine by us, man." Nick told him, laughing slightly. Blaine's eyes widened in surprise.

"Trust me when I say you're not the first kid to come to Dalton because his old school wasn't very accepting." Jeff added. Blaine nodded slowly, eyes wide.

"Alright then." he said, unable to say much else. He definitely thought that he was going to like Dalton.

* * *

Blaine had decided that he didn't just like Dalton. He absolutely loved it. He quickly adjusted to the school, making friends in all of his classes. He tried out for the Warblers, which turned out to be one of the most popular groups on campus, and was accepted into the show choir. That was also pretty awesome, because instead of almost everybody hating him, he was one of the most well-liked people in the school. He found the experience strange but nice. However, he still missed Jaz and his family. Jaz had been his closest friend while at his old school. They'd made a lot of good memories, and Blaine was happy that she'd found a better school that was more accepting.

In terms of his family, he talked the most with his mother. The fact that she was living so nearby helped a lot, and he went home every two weeks just to spend some time with her. His relationship with his father had been a little strained since he came out, but he knew his father was trying to accept him, although it was hard. However, his father was so often at work, Blaine started to wonder if he was avoiding him and his sister out of guilt over the things he'd said the night Blaine came out. As for his brother, his career was starting to take off, so he was always busy. He called home as often as he could, but Blaine began to hear from him less and less as time went on.

Santana was also strangely hard to get in contact with. She'd thrown herself into kickboxing, gymnastics, going to the gym, and schoolwork. Whenever she wasn't doing one of those things, she was keeping up with the latest trends, shopping, or learning new things about makeup. She'd also picked up a couple side jobs so that she could pay for the things she bought herself. Still, whenever they did talk, she put everything aside for at least two hours, saying that she would take care of them later. He had no idea how she managed to pull that off, but he appreciated that she would drop everything to just listen to him talk. However, he started calling less because he didn't want to cause any trouble for her. They ended up talking about once a month.

One day, late in the spring, his sister showed up at Dalton.

"How'd you even get here?" he wondered, gaping at her. She smirked as she pushed herself off the wall she'd been leaning against.

"I took the bus." she said.

"That's kind of dangerous." he pointed out.

" _Hermano_ , nobody wants to mess with this." she joked, gesturing to her whole body. Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Right... New question. How'd you get into my room?" he responded. Santana shook her head.

"Blaine, there is nothing that can keep me from getting to you. Not trespassing laws, not high walls, not security cameras; not even windows that are more than three stories off the ground are going to stop me. If I want to be by your side, I will be. Just accept it, little brother. No need to question it." she stated firmly. Blaine was touched at her words, but he knew that overly emotional displays made her uncomfortable. He decided not to make a big deal out of it, switching to a lighter topic.

"You're only a month older than me." he complained. Santana stepped up to him and ruffled his hair.

"Still my little brother. Deal with it." she teased as he swatted at her hands, protesting loudly.

"Hey, leave the hair alone, and come on! I'll show you around Westerville." he suggested.

"Alright then, Ovenbird. Lead the way." she agreed.

"Ovenbird?" Blaine wondered, frowning.

"It's a type of Warbler; the only member of the genus Seiurus. The species is genetically unique, and this fits you because you are in a class of your own. Or genus, whatever. The point is, you are different from everybody else. And not only is that okay; it's great. You should always embrace that." Santana explained. Blaine smiled.

"Okay. Whatever you say, sis. Whatever you say."

* * *

Santana continued to show up at random times throughout the school year. Somehow, nobody ever realized she was there. Blaine didn't know whether to be awed or concerned at his sister's ability to sneak around. Blaine continued to enjoy being in the Warblers and all the fun that came with it, especially his close friendship with Nick and Jeff.

Once in a while, they'd head down to hang out at the Lima Bean, a popular coffee shop on the outskirts of Lima. Sometimes, he'd catch sight of his sister typing away at a laptop in a secluded booth, looking very focused. On those days, he'd make an excuse to slip away and order his sister a Caffe Mocha. Minutes later, she would get the drink, look up, and raise it into the air in a silent salute before taking a sip. Then, she'd go back to work, looking like a college student and not a fourteen year old. He always wondered what she was doing over there, but he never bothered to ask.

The days slipped by, and Santana began to seem more closed off and resigned. He couldn't figure out why- maybe it had something to do with what his father had said the night he came out? He'd heard his father when he said that he'd taken the worst thing that had ever happened to Santana and thrown it in her face, but to be honest, Blaine didn't know what that was. He didn't know how Santana had lost her parents; he only knew that his mother had wanted to have a daughter and they were lucky enough to find Santana. When he finally asked Santana what was wrong, she brushed it off, saying that she'd started to visit somebody that she used to know. Blaine was kind of sad that he didn't know who that was. She was his sister, yet there was so much that she kept bottled up like soda. And once she was shaken too much, she'd explode.

All he really knew is that he didn't like these visits. Santana came back from them looking just as sad and lonely as she had the first day he met her, and Blaine hated it. Why did she keep going back if all that person ever did was make her feel miserable? He started getting so frustrated that he actively went looking for a way to blow off all of his steam.

Naturally, Santana, although she didn't know why he was so frustrated all of a sudden, suggested boxing. It was a good way to release negative emotions, and it would allow Blaine to defend himself if he ever needed it. He agreed to the idea and started taking lessons. To his surprise, Santana was right. Boxing could be pretty cathartic; just letting his mind go blank and punching a bag for a couple hours helped a lot with clearing his head. Blaine wasn't a violent person like Santana could be when she was majorly ticked off, but he could see how his sister liked it.

When he wasn't boxing or doing homework, Blaine would hang out with the Warblers. Singing with them wasn't as fun and awesome as singing with his sister, but it was still amazing regardless. They were such a supportive group, helping him out with homework, teaching him life hacks, and even attempting to help him with the art of romance. Unfortunately, Blaine was still kind of hopeless at the latter. He could not figure out how to tell if someone was interested or not, and sometimes, him being friendly was misconstrued as flirting.

"I was just singing Can't Help Falling In Love! How was I supposed to know that someone I randomly recognized as a cashier from the Lima Bean would think it was meant for him?" he exclaimed incredulously, walking down the streets of Westerville with his sister.

"To be fair, just before you started the song, you looked him in the eye, smiled, and gave him a little wave." Santana pointed out.

"Because he's so nice to me! Ev1ery single time I go there, he asks me if I want the usual, and if I say yes, he just hands them to me, as if he's prepared them in advance!" Blaine defended.

"Blaine, that really should have tipped you off about his crush. You don't go there that often, so for him to have memorized your order and then immediately make it the second he sees you walk through the door is a little strange otherwise. You're oblivious." Santana sighed. Blaine threw his hands up in the air.

"Okay, I get it. I suck at romance. Please stop criticizing me." he pleaded. Santana laughed.

"Don't worry. You've got a ton of wingmen at Dalton. And a wingwoman here in Lima. But I feel like you won't even need one. You'll figure it out eventually." she reassured.

"I really hope that you're right, 'Tana. I really do." he responded.

"Oh, I will be. Trust me. Now, come on. We have just enough time left to do an impromptu duet." she replied.

"Okay. But what artist?" he wondered.

"Well, seeing as I'm wearing a fedora right now, let's go with Michael." Santana suggested. Blaine nodded in agreement.

The resulting duet version of Smooth Criminal, although acapella, made Blaine's top ten list of their covers. And although he didn't know it yet, it would remain there for the rest of their lives.

* * *

 **A/N: And now, a quick look into Santana's side of things.**

* * *

Santana had been relaxing on the couch when she got the call.

"I'm sorry - did you say my grandmother?" she asked, wanting to make sure she'd heard right.

" _Yes. Why do you ask?_ " the caller responded.

"It's just that I haven't talked to her in a while. You said I was her emergency contact? How'd she get my number?" she wondered.

" _She found it in a phonebook, apparently._ " came the reply.

"Huh. And you said that she had a nasty fall and has now been moved to a nursing home? And she wants me to come visit her?" Santana clarified.

" _That's correct._ " Santana swallowed heavily, unpleasant memories beginning to flash through her mind. However, she steeled herself and firmly nodded to herself.

"Okay. I'll be there tomorrow. Have a good day." she said, and hung up.

Tomorrow she was going to see her Abuela for the first time since she was three.

For some reason, she wasn't very excited.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. A big thank you to you lovely people who are reading this story. And another thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. Your support means a lot. Now, a bit of unashamed self-promotion: my other story _the lights are on (but no one's home)_ is a Brittana story with a lot longer chapters, although there are only three at the moment. I hope you'll go check that one out as well. Thanks for reading!**

 **\- Ryta**


	4. Chapter 4

**Right so this chapter takes place where Chapter 2 left off, with the summer before ninth grade having started for both Blaine and Santana. As it turns out, Santana's been visiting her abuela, who isn't exactly a nice person. At all... We'll be finishing up the time before Season 1 of Glee and be getting a lot of Brittana development during these next chapters. Obviously, Klaine has to wait a little bit... but don't worry. We won't spend too much time on Season 1. But Season 2 is where the main plot really begins. Hope you continue to enjoy this fic! And please keep on reviewing. I find your comments helpful and motivating. - Ryta**

 **Warning: Santana's abuela isn't very nice. Some verbal abuse, and a few instances of physical violence. Not actually sure how severe any of it is, but I don't want to take any chances. If this may be an issue for you, do not read the material between the two lines of Xs.**

* * *

"I think Coach Sylvester might be insane." Santana groaned out as she lay stretched out on Brittany's bedroom floor. Lying above her on the bed, Brittany peered over the edge at her, giggling.

"She's not insane, San. She's just super determined." she said brightly. Santana sat up and looked the blonde in the eye.

"No, she's insane. We just ran several miles with really heavy bags of meat strapped to the backs of our thighs and calves. And we were wearing long-sleeved tinfoil vests with weights in them. And there were hungry dogs chasing us. All while she yelled insults at us. I think that's more than just determination, Britt. Like, was that even safe?" Santana replied, gesticulating wildly with her hands. Brittany laughed.

"Okay, so she's a little crazy. But we're doing really well. It only took Quinn and I a couple days to get used to all the exercise. And you adjusted right away. The first day of practice, you outran everybody on the team." she responded.

"That was the first day of practice." Santana argued.

"Well, you could outrun us all every day, but instead you choose to stay with Quinn and I. So I don't see your point." Brittany returned. Santana shrugged, letting the topic go.

"So, what do you want to do now?" she asked the blonde.

"I don't know, San. Maybe we can go feed the ducks? But we have to be back by two; Lord Tubbington's been smoking again. He recently joined a gang, you know." Santana, having already gotten used to Brittany's constant use of metaphors, knew that the odd sounding statement simply meant that the cat had been stealing food from garbage cans and was not interacting well with other people and animals. The former had quite the effect on the cat's health, as the overweight feline was not dropping any pounds; the latter resulted in an inability to leave the cat in anyone's care but the Pierce family and sometimes Santana. The Latina was pretty sure that the cat had a doctor's appointment at two in an attempt to resolve at least one of these issues. She sometimes wondered how the cat was still alive.

"Alright. Let's go." Santana agreed, sitting up. Brittany swung her legs off the side of the bed, and the shorter girl found herself tracking the movement with her eyes. She frowned momentarily at herself, and then blinked, turning her attention away from her best friend. She rolled backwards into a back walkover, landing softly on her feet, and walked out of the room.

After a quick stop in the kitchen, the pair set out towards the park: one girl holding a bag of corn, and the other skipping down the path with a bag of oats. The first time Brittany had dragged Santana out of the park to feed the ducks, the dark haired girl had wondered why they didn't just use bread. She'd received a sharp glare (which was a strange mixture of terrifying and adorable), and a rant about how bread was actually bad for ducks and the ecosystem in general. Upon finishing the rant, Brittany had blushed, bit her lip, and looked down shyly, muttering an apology in an embarrassed tone. Santana had quickly snapped out of her shellshocked state and reassured the blonde that she hadn't done anything wrong.

" _You're a genius, Britt._ " she'd breathed out, and Brittany met her gaze with sad and unsure eyes.

" _Really? Because most people think I'm stupid._ " the blonde had admitted. Santana shook her head firmly.

" _Screw them. You're amazing. You're beautiful, kind, and an absolute genius. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise._ " she'd proclaimed firmly. She remembered feeling a bit embarassed at her outburst, but the soft smile that graced her best friend's lips afterwards wiped the feeling away. She swore right then that she'd do her best to keep Brittany smiling, because when she did, it made the world a little brighter. And she thought that the world could use a little more light.

Once the two girls arrived at the park, they went over to their bench and sat down. Since the beginning of the summer, when they first met, they'd always sat on that bench. It was located at the edge of the water, providing easy access to the ducks. The bench was partially hidden from view due to the tall trees that towered around it. Santana wasn't sure how Brittany had discovered it, but she loved the place. It was a peaceful spot, especially because nobody else ever used it.

As they threw grain into the water and on the ground in front of them, Santana leaned against Brittany's shoulder, feeling very relaxed.

"You're awesome. I'm so glad I met you." she said out of the blue. The blonde smiled down at her.

"Ditto." she replied simply, bringing a smile to Santana's face. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying the weather.

* * *

"Remember, your reputation is the only thing that matters. I don't care if you think someone is nice. If people think badly of you for talking to them, then you shouldn't be. They don't like that person for a reason, Santana, and you can't ignore that and risk getting dragged down with them." her grandmother lectured as they sat across from each other in her grandmother's living room.

"Yes, abuela." Santana responded dully, slouching back into the cushy armchair she was sitting in. Her grandmother raised an eyebrow, and Santana begrudgingly sat up straighter.

"And to keep such people from trying to get close to you, always make it clear that you are above them." the older woman directed.

"Above them? What type of people am I above?" Santana asked, creasing her eyebrows.

"I think you're smart enough to figure that out. But definitely kids who come from low class areas and those sinful gay people. They'll bring you nothing but trouble." Santana frowned. What her grandmother was saying felt wrong to her.

"Abuela, you know I'm originally from Lima Heights Adjacent. I don't think I have any room to judge. And my brother is gay. But he's not going to hell." she pointed out. Her grandmother tilted her head, looking as if she couldn't believe what Santana was saying.

"I'm not any better than them, so why should I act like I am?" she wondered. Her grandmother rose from her seat and walked over to Santana. She stood in front of her, scowling down at her granddaughter.

 **WARNINGXXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Santana, you are a stupid, foolish little girl who has yet to learn what's right and wrong. Do as I say and don't talk back. I thought I'd taught you better." her abuela replied, shaking her head in disappointment. Stunned, Santana opened her mouth to retort, but before she could say anything, her head snapped to the side as her grandmother's palm met her face. She turned back to her grandmother in shock, cheek stinging.

"I said, don't talk back." the woman said, and Santana's nostrils flared in rage. She was about to go on an angry tirade when her abuela grabbed her hair and sharply pulled her head closer to her face. Her other hand clamped down hard around Santana's jaw, squeezing her mouth shut painfully.

"You ungrateful piece of trash. If you open your mouth one more time, you will be punished." Santana's eyes were wide, pupils dilated in terror. Her grandmother was prone to mood swings, but this was insane. This had never happened before. Sure, her grandmother had said some hurtful things to her in the past, but it had never gotten physical. Santana didn't really know what to do.

"You will do as I say. Do you understand me? Nod if you do." Santana just stared at her grandmother, caught in a daze. The woman snarled, shaking her granddaughter's head roughly. She bit back a yelp as her hair was pulled more violently.

"I asked whether you understood me. Answer the question." she growled. Santana nodded her head as best as she could, and her abuela shoved her away roughly. Santana stumbled back, watching her grandmother warily.

"Good. Now get out, you ugly, weak child. And lose some weight. I don't know how you can bear to leave the house in the mornings looking like that." the woman snapped, and Santana turned, running out of the room as quickly as she could, tears starting to fall down her face.

 **WARNINGXXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX** **XXXXXXXXXXX**

What her grandmother had said and done had hurt her deeply. But Santana knew she'd still go back to her next week. And the week after. And even the week after that. No matter what her abuela did, she would keep going back, because she loved her grandmother too much to leave for good.

As time passed, she left every visit feeling more afraid and insecure then she had the week before. She'd go home, hide in her room, and cry for hours upon end. She would stay up late wondering if what her grandmother said was true; wondering whether she was such a worthless creature that no one could ever really love her.

Eventually, Santana built up a nearly impenetrable facade; a sarcastic, bitchy cheerleader who knew she was the hottest piece of action around and didn't have a problem with flaunting it. A girl who didn't care what people thought of her because she was full of confidence. And behind that, she hid a quiet, insecure girl who loved music and believed that she was ugly and worthless. A girl who cared all too much about what people thought of her because she had no confidence. She buried that girl deep inside her walls and swore that she'd never let her see the light of day again.

But a small part of her hoped that someone would eventually see through her facade and find that girl; hoped that they would see her for who she really was and love her for it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't sure it would ever happen.

* * *

By the time school started up, Santana's cheerleader persona was rock solid. She was perfect. Not in the way that Quinn was, with her flawless ice queen persona. No, Quinn had erased whoever she was before and become someone completely new. Santana had taken the person she already was, chosen specific characteristics to enhance and dial down, and twisted her original personality to be exactly who she wanted to be. And who she wanted to be was amazing. She knew exactly how to catch the attention of guys, and she could drop them just as quickly. She could dish out insults with practically no effort, and she always had a witty response ready for everything. Her hair and makeup skills were impeccable, and so was her wardrobe. She was loud and overconfident, but also devious and a bit mysterious. She was Santana Lopez, and nobody wanted to mess with her. And more importantly, nobody wanted to mess with Brittany.

Everybody knew how protective Santana was of her best friend. Rumors flitted around school about the way she would get her revenge on anyone who hurt the sweet blonde, and they boosted the Latina's reputation even more. In the eyes of the McKinley population, she was dangerous. She was a predator. And predators always have prey.

But as far as her prey went, Santana was unique. She never went after people because they were weak. She only went after them if they had pissed her off or if she had to target someone for no reason. Whenever that happened, she always went for the strongest candidates.

Rachel Berry, for example, was determined to never give up on her dream. Santana knew that nothing she did would ever change that. So she slushied Rachel every day and called her names that implied she was of the opposite gender. Rachel took it all in stride, brushing herself off and putting a smile on her face. Santana found that smile annoying. It practically screamed self-confidence, which was the one thing she herself lacked. In fact, Berry's entire personality oozed that confidence. She kind of hated her for it.

Kurt Hummel kept his head held high despite being thrown in the dumpster every morning. She respected him for it. She even went so far as to not slushie him; while flamboyant, his outfits were expensive and very nice. She didn't want to ruin them. So, she insulted him verbally. However, she couldn't bring herself to use actual homophobic slurs against Kurt. Instead, she just pointed out his sexuality at every possible moment. She knew she wasn't being nice. But she'd accepted that she was kind of a bitch a long time ago. And Kurt had taken to calling her Satan, which actually kind of hurt. The insult brought up bad memories, all of them related to her grandmother. So she supposed they were basically even.

Okay, maybe not. But a girl could dream, right?

There were others as well. Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abrams, Mercedes Jones, the list went on; and while some appeared quite shy, there was a quiet strength that all of them shared, although Santana was the only person looking closely enough to see it. She was observant enough to notice a lot of hidden and personal things about each of her targets, but she would never use those against them. She only insulted them with what everybody else saw on the surface.

For example, she would insult Tina's stutter. It was definitely faked, but it wasn't the biggest secret the girl was hiding. No, that would be the fact that she was adopted. She'd seen Tina's parents, and they weren't even Asian. In fact, they were a lovely Caucasian couple, with features that didn't resemble Tina's in the slightest. However, Santana never said anything about it to anyone. It was Tina's decision to reveal that, not hers.

Artie Abrams had a huge secret as well, a tragic one. She called Artie out on his inability to walk, a fact which everybody knew. But she didn't talk about the fact that his older brother had been in the car with him and his mom, didn't mention that she'd watched as Artie had tried to pull him loose from where he was pinned in the driver's seat. How could she? She remembered the day with disturbing clarity.

She'd watched the accident happen from outside of the grocery store where she and her mother were shopping. Santana had decided to wait outside because the sun was shining, bright and warm, and she had liked it much more than the artificial light within the building. The car had been crossing an empty intersection when a truck came out of nowhere, slamming into the smaller vehicle and flipping it over. The police and the fire department had appeared on the scene in minutes.

Artie's mother had crawled out of the car first, hauling Artie out of the backseat and pulling him quickly to where the police surrounded the accident. About halfway there, Artie had realized that his brother hadn't appeared yet. He had broken free of his mother's grip, rushing back to the car.

 _Santana walked closer, as if stuck in a trance. Her mother called her name from behind her, but she barely heard it. She was stuck, memories of the car crash she'd been in when she was four flashing through her head. Police and firefighters ran around the scene, not even noticing the little girl in the midst of all the chaos._

 _The heat, the smell of gasoline, the screams of her parents, the horrible screech of folding metal, and the explosion. All of it played through her mind in a constant loop. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes tightly._

 _"Santana!" Her eyes snapped open as she came back to reality, shuddering. She continued to ignore her mother's calls from outside the temporary perimeter that had been set up._

 _"It's probably not going to explode this time... apparently that doesn't happen often." she tried to reassure herself. It didn't help._

 _Santana stood on the sidewalk and watched in horror as Artie called for help and tugged uselessly at his brother's arm. Nobody came to the eight year old's aid. At first, she didn't understand why._

 _"It's not safe, son! Artie, you need to move!" a fireman yelled, and Artie's mother screamed in fear from where she was being restrained by two policemen. Santana's heart sank, and her blood ran cold. Artie ignored their warnings, continuing to pull at his brother's torso. She could hear his panicked mutterings._

 _Then, his brother said something, too quietly for Santana to hear, and Artie started to shake his head violently. From where she stood, Santana had been able to tell that his brother was insisting on whatever it was. She had edged a tiny bit closer, and had just been able to pick up Artie's older brother's last words._

 _"Artie, I need you to get out of here. Please. Just- remember me, okay? Remember that I'm always with you, even when you don't feel like I am. And remember that no matter where you look, there's always a story to be told. There's always something behind the curtain, just waiting to be expressed. So, try to find whatever lies behind the surface, and unlock the door. Don't force it out, though. If it's ready to fly into the light, it will go on it's own. But sometimes, it needs you to give it the chance. In life, no wall, no matter what it is or what it's made of, is unbreakable. Remember that. Remember that I love you. I love you so much, Artie. Now go." He had gently shoved the crying eight year old away, and Santana had felt like she'd intruded on a private moment. But she had also known that she would remember those words forever._

 _Artie took a few steps, and then paused. He lingered for a second, glancing back at his brother._

 _"Artie, get out of there!" Santana had burst, unable to contain herself, and he had turned to her in confusion. She'd never met him before; they had no idea who the other was. The boy had made eye contact with her, and something had twisted inside of her. Something bad was about to happen, she could feel it._

 _Artie broke into a run, sprinting towards her as quickly as he could. He wasn't fast enough._

 _The car exploded behind him, sending pieces of debris flying through the air. A chunk of metal slammed into the eight year old's back, sending him flying forwards with a cry of pain. He rolled to a stop at Santana's feet, and she immediately dropped to her knees next to him. He whimpered, and all Santana could do was grab his hand and try to calm him down. Paramedics appeared at her side in seconds, carefully lifting Artie off of the ground and taking him away. She watched them go, hands stained with blood._

The incident had brought back nightmares of her parent's death for months after. Even now, she could barely look Artie in the eye. At least when treating him like a loser, she could just pretend he didn't exist. She'd never slushied him either.

To be honest, though, slushies were used more by the jocks than the Cheerios; they weren't on the school board's approved list of bullying implements or whatever, so the male athletes loved them. Santana had actually only used slushies a total of thirteen times: once on Rachel when she had made a snide comment about Brittany, and 12 other times for twelve different incidents of someone being mean to her best friend. Basically, if you insulted Brittany, you'd be lucky to get off with just a slushie facial. Otherwise, she didn't slushie people. However, that didn't stop people from running in fear every morning when she and Brittany walked down the halls with slushies in hand. She couldn't really blame them. Other Cheerios were known for giving slushie facials: Quinn, for example, slushied Rachel at least once a week, and ordered the jocks to slushie people every single day. Dana Stevens held a grudge against Jewfro for something he'd spread around the school at one point, so he got a slushie facial every day. And of course, Cheerios coach Sue Sylvester was known for walking around with slushies, and she wasn't afraid to use them if someone pissed her off.

But there were other ways of proving superiority over the people at the bottom of the social ladder.

Mercedes Jones was another kid who Santana found very strong. She seemed a bit shy, but Santana could see a quiet confidence in her. She tended to throw pencils at Mercedes in class, but only because she was fascinated at the way Mercedes didn't give her any reaction, choosing to ignore her completely. Once in a while, she'd slip something in the girl's food, and even then, nothing. The only time Mercedes ever reacted was when she was slushied, because like Kurt, she cared about her clothes and hair. Although, Santana had tried to punch the girl a few times, but only because she'd said something about Brittany.

When she stopped to think about it, she realized that everything always came back to Brittany. She couldn't help it, though. Brittany was hers, kind of like how Blaine was hers.

Nobody got to mess with what was hers.

She'd fought too hard to keep them in the first place.

* * *

"Does that poster say... Glee Club?" Santana asked Brittany in confusion. Wasn't the Glee Club long dead or something?

"Yeah, San, it definitely does." the blonde replied cheerily.

"Ugh, if only it wouldn't be social suicide to join." she muttered. She hadn't gotten to sing in ages.

"Well, I'm sure we can come up with some reason to go." Brittany pointed out.

"You're right, Britt. We'll just have to wait for one to show up." Santana replied. She linked pinkies with Brittany and they walked off to class.

* * *

 **So, it's been a little while since I updated... is it just me, or is Glee fanfic starting to slow down? That makes me sad. For my fellow Californians, stay safe from the fires. And if y'all have heard about what happened with Naya Rivera... I think that it's perhaps for the best that she's filing for divorce again. Obviously, the relationship with her and her husband is rather toxic, and while I don't condone domestic violence whatsoever, I don't think she's a bad person. I hope everything works out for everyone. Anyways, hope to see you soon with the next chapter! - Ryta**


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